New Linux box advice
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Hi all, I have an Intel NUC i5 5300 with 16gb RAM and a couple of SSD drives , it runs Debian Linux - I use it mainly for hosting my intranet site and any .NET (what was .NET core ) projects, I also use it to build Armbian images for my plethora of SBC boards. It's starting to show it's age and I would like to replace/supplement it with something newer. The absolute prequisite is that it's quiet and hopefully not too power hungry. Any suggestions peeps ?
In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity. - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
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On the low end there's this lil guy https://www.amazon.com/Beelink-Desktop-Computer-Support-Ethernet/dp/B0BVLS7ZHP/ref=sr_1_3?c=ts&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dqU0JkMyPhtZ9fy6nAX4K8Y7Xia0s96-RUiZG1yvMk-sGlixBtcBiw_z4gH8k3k07Ijes_JfLUNKsfQOHk3xmQ3MN0UaerdRPErO0TjDFmteL1e0wCswCo2VEX9VR3EKf6OYLx80GpcyvOjeV4vZt3ueAMvc0JRfeSSGy0nad3_oHNRcOpXcgikVqFK7tDaaei83NBz-6kLybWZ8wC9eFsbMvDQl6e3p3PNssGZe5hTqBf6DwO31s4W3cAx4Mrn2Kxp7KVl0NTmk9TRrlkTgABvQpaIxU-a3f1cD1N6Pw4M.b1Joe5Poi3peh8IHjZnoiY9y3sSxoz3_wwb4POTO6GM&dib_tag=se&keywords=Mini%2BComputers&qid=1722370345&refinements=p_n_feature_two_browse-bin%3A5446812011&s=pc&sr=1-3&ts_id=13896591011&th=1[^] However, I'd go with something with twice the space of what you need, for TRIM and other reasons so maybe something like this?
honey the codewitch wrote:
However, I'd go with something with twice the space of what you need
A lot of the Beelink systems come with an M.2/NVMe drive, but also have a free standard SATA slot. Even 128GB is a ton of space for the OS and a few apps, and then I just throw in a spare SSD for bulk data. The insides for the Beelinks are very easy to get to.
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Ace Magic...aren't these from some Chinese manufacturer that was caught preloading their systems with spyware a few months back? [Edit] Ah, [yes](https://www.tomshardware.com/desktops/mini-pcs/mini-pc-maker-ships-systems-with-factory-installed-spyware-acemagic-says-issue-was-contained-to-the-first-shipment)...
yes, but like discussed in this message thread. mostly these will be wiped completely clean and afresh install of some Linux variant will be installed. So that should not be an issue for most people here.
To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer
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honey the codewitch wrote:
However, I'd go with something with twice the space of what you need
A lot of the Beelink systems come with an M.2/NVMe drive, but also have a free standard SATA slot. Even 128GB is a ton of space for the OS and a few apps, and then I just throw in a spare SSD for bulk data. The insides for the Beelinks are very easy to get to.
I did not that, and I would have assumed otherwise. Good deal.
Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix
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I probably could have sanitized the links to be honest, but it's fiddly work. :rolleyes:
Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix
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Huh?? Marking from the question mark to the end of the URL and pressing the Del key is 'fiddly work'??
Religious freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make five.
Bothering to look at the url long enough to figure out which parts of the query string are required and which aren't. I couldn't be bothered. Too fiddly. YMMV.
Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix
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Everything is clean inside right? I'd look hard at the cooler, maybe re-do the paste on the cpu with a new cooler fan and see what happens.
Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.
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I have a Lenovo ThinkCentre M910q i5-6500T. 32GB of ram and 1TB NVMe in it. Quiet, small and not very power hungry.I have Arch installed on it and it runs beautifully.
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From what I've read Charlie it's a common fault with ageing NUCs
In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity. - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
I believe you. the small units are very focused. Still, if you get 10 years out of a system... In my heavy development days, after my laptop hit 3 years, I would start shopping. For my non laptop systems, I build them myself. I know exactly what is going into them. I'm looking at my Ryzen 9 machine that is thundering along after 5 years. The goal was to have sufficient horsepower to run multiple VMs. Eventually I'll get to all VMs.
Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.
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yes, but like discussed in this message thread. mostly these will be wiped completely clean and afresh install of some Linux variant will be installed. So that should not be an issue for most people here.
To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer
Even if you replace the hard drive altogether, there's still the firmware. And even if you flash the firmware, you can't trust any newer version if it's from the same guys. Unlike a router, I've never heard of alternate/third-party firmware for a computer. Heck, you can brick a system from a trusted manufacturer if you get firmware for a system from the same company, but get the model wrong.
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I did not that, and I would have assumed otherwise. Good deal.
Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix
Absolutely. As mentioned, I have a few of them. There are instances where I picked a model with a smaller/cheaper drive, but just replaced/complemented it with a spare I already had. Likewise with RAM, I've got systems I intentionally bought with less memory than offered as I replaced it anyway with a separate 64GB kit. Right now I have more spare 8/16GB DDR4 sticks than I'll never need...
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From what I've read Charlie it's a common fault with ageing NUCs
In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity. - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
pkfox wrote:
it's a common fault with ageing NUCs
That's certainly been my experience, and IMO is the untold reason Intel exited the NUC market - thermal management has always been a problem for Intel, and packing that much hardware in a tiny enclosure isn't something they can do while also providing something that'll last. I still can barely hear the fan in my oldest Beelink even if I stick my ear right on it. When both of my NUCs were near the end of their respective lives, I could hear their fan 24/7 at a distance. I did blow dust out of them regularly with compressed air.
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pkfox wrote:
it's a common fault with ageing NUCs
That's certainly been my experience, and IMO is the untold reason Intel exited the NUC market - thermal management has always been a problem for Intel, and packing that much hardware in a tiny enclosure isn't something they can do while also providing something that'll last. I still can barely hear the fan in my oldest Beelink even if I stick my ear right on it. When both of my NUCs were near the end of their respective lives, I could hear their fan 24/7 at a distance. I did blow dust out of them regularly with compressed air.
I received my new box today and have spent most of the day installing stuff and so far its excellent
In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity. - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
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I received my new box today and have spent most of the day installing stuff and so far its excellent
In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity. - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
Sweet :-) I love these little boxes. People keep their computers these days for a lot longer than they used to, but every time someone comes to me and asks for recommendations, this is where I start. I have a relative who had to deal with a dead computer in his small carwash business. The Beelink I recommended blew his mind, to the point where - even though there was no problem with it and he's not a computer guy - he bought a second one to replace the old tower he was using at home.
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Absolutely. As mentioned, I have a few of them. There are instances where I picked a model with a smaller/cheaper drive, but just replaced/complemented it with a spare I already had. Likewise with RAM, I've got systems I intentionally bought with less memory than offered as I replaced it anyway with a separate 64GB kit. Right now I have more spare 8/16GB DDR4 sticks than I'll never need...
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Do the beelinks have any spare M2 2280 slots in them ?
In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity. - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
As a spare, no - most models have a regular SSD (empty) slot for their spare/secondary, while the primary is M.2 (except, I believe, for their cheapest models, which might not even be made anymore). Although I'm not sure about physical dimensions; your best bet is to check with BeeLink itself ([https://www.bee-link.com/\](https://www.bee-link.com/)), since Amazon listings are often not 100% accurate.
